Generally described, aspects of the present disclosure relate to a lightweight and strong trailer coupler system made of extruded aluminum that is configured to be installed in the bed of a truck and to couple to a trailer. The trailer coupler system can be configured to be strong enough to tow a trailer (e.g., a horse trailer or consumer RV) while weighing less than or equal to about 45 pounds. The trailer coupler system can include a pin adapter with a greaseless towball coupler configured to couple to the towball of the coupler system with little or no need to use grease. The disclosed trailer coupler systems can be configured to reduce stresses on the trailer, transferring at least a portion of those stresses on the truck with the trailer coupler system.
Aspects of the present disclosure also relate to an adapter hitch for a trailer. The adapter can include a greaseless towball coupler configured to receive a towball with little or no need to use grease. The adapter hitch can include a funnel configuration to facilitate seating a towball within the greaseless towball coupler. The greaseless towball coupler can also be manufactured using extruded aluminum.
Aspects of the present disclosure also relate to the use of the disclosed trailer coupler systems with the disclosed adapter hitches with a trailer such as a horse trailer. This combination of devices can effectively shorten the stem portion extending from the trailer to the towball in the truck.
The fifth wheel coupling generally provides a link between a semi-trailer and a towing truck, tractor unit, leading trailer, or dolly. Typically, the coupling consists of a coupling pin, or king pin, on the front of the towed trailer, and a horseshoe-shaped coupling device called a fifth wheel on the rear of the towing vehicle. The fifth wheel pivotally accepts or receives the king pin thereby coupling the trailer to the towing truck.
A consumer grade fifth wheel hitch is commonly employed for coupling a recreational vehicle (RV) or trailer to a consumer vehicle, such as a pickup truck. The consumer fifth wheel hitch is generally patterned after the large commercial fifth wheel hitches used for towing industrial vehicles. Consumer grade fifth wheel hitches are not required to carry heavy industrial loads, and are therefore generally designed to be much lighter and smaller than commercial fifth wheel hitches. However, these lighter-weight copies still weigh much more than a single person can conveniently lift and position. In fact, some consumer fifth wheel hitches require the efforts of 3 or 4 people to lift and position the hitch in the bed of the towing vehicle. Similarly, the efforts of multiple people are required to remove the hitch from the towing vehicle should the user wish to use the bed of the towing vehicle for hauling other materials. This inconvenience commonly results in the user leaving the hitch installed as a permanent fixture in the bed of the towing vehicle.
The process of installing a consumer grade fifth wheel hitch in the bed of a towing vehicle often requires extensive modification to the towing vehicle. These modifications are largely dependent upon the bolt-hole pattern of the hitch, as well as the structural features of the towing vehicle's frame and bed. Since the structural features of both fifth wheel hitches and towing vehicles vary greatly between manufacturers, the pairing and installation of a consumer fifth wheel hitch becomes a custom procedure. Thus, when a user purchases a new towing vehicle or a new fifth wheel hitch, the hitch must be custom installed in the towing vehicle.
Thus, while techniques currently exist that relate to equipping consumer towing vehicles with consumer grade fifth wheel hitches, challenges still exist. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or even replace current techniques with other techniques.
Trailers, including cargo trailers, boat trailers, recreational vehicles, animal trailers, camping trailers and mobile homes, are designed to be towed behind a motor vehicle. During transport, the front end of the trailer is supported by and connected to the vehicle by an apparatus. A truck having a bed, with a connecting apparatus in the bed of the truck, is commonly used to tow trailers. A fifth-wheel trailer connects to a towing vehicle by a fifth-wheel hitch that is mounted on a frame within the vehicle bed such that the actual connecting apparatus is located above the plane of the truck bed. A gooseneck trailer connects directly to the towing vehicle via a ball hitch in the bed of the truck.
Fifth-wheel trailers commonly extend over at least a portion of the bed of the truck and attach to a hitch near the middle of the truck bed. A person who owns both a gooseneck trailer and a fifth-wheel trailer generally needs to own two different trailer hitches and a different trailer hitch must be installed, and/or removed, each time a different trailer is needed. It can also be difficult to mate the trailer to the coupling apparatus, further complicating the installation process.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a hitch adapter which allows the user to couple a standard fifth-wheel trailer to a standard ball hitch. Further, it would be advantageous to provide a hitch that is easy to install and remove and that permits vertical adjustment of the trailer.